Avast Anti Virus

Like AVG, Avast is primarily an antivirus program, but also boasts the ability to detect and remove spyware and adware. There is a "professional edition" available for a charge, but the free "home edition" has all the antivirus and antispyware power you will need. You do have to register to continue using it, but this is free and the registration is good for one year.

Avast offers all of the same functions as most other free spyware removers - automatic updates, the ability to schedule your scan, plus a lot of customizable options - but also has a few benefits that many others don't. These include a boot-time scan, which can detect and clean up spyware that starts up before your operating system gets going, and a very strong real-time protection system that will not only stop malicious programs from every installing, but can check incoming instant messages and emails for threats. One downside is that it doesn't remove spyware trails (registry keys, for example) as well as some spyware-only programs, so you will still want to use another program in conjunction with it. It also has some fun features, such as the ability to install custom skins that change the look of the interface. Avast Antivirus is a strong program with good features, and the fact that it is also an antivirus program just increases its value.